An all-new, direct-injection 1.8L four-cylinder engine mated to a two-motor drive unit, slightly modified from the 2016 Chevrolet Volt drive unit, powers the Malibu Hybrid. The drive unit provides additional power to assist the engine during acceleration, for 182 horsepower (136 kW) of total system power.

The engine also features Chevrolet’s first application of Exhaust Gas Heat Recovery, or EGHR, technology, which uses exhaust heat to warm the engine and cabin. EGHR improves engine warm up and ensures consistent fuel economy performance in cold weather. Additional fuel economy benefits come from Exhaust Gas Recirculation, or EGR.

An 80-cell, 1.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack provides electric power to the hybrid system. It can power the Malibu Hybrid up to 55 miles per hour (88 km/h) on electricity alone. The gasoline-powered engine automatically comes on at higher speeds and high loads to provide additional power.

I have also wondered, in this day and age, why anyone would build a hybrid like this without at least 20 miles of plug-in AER. With the cost of batteries the price difference between a plug-in and regular hybrid couldn’t be more than $2,000 and the federal tax credit will pay the difference.

Because most manufacturers still believe they get the biggest fuel economy impact for average owners with hybrids. It is totally transparent for a typical ICE driver, including refuelling.

And for those who would never plug in even if they could (like the infamous GE Volt drivers), hybrids get better mileage than a plug-in because they are lighter.

Fortunately there are also enough enlightened drivers out there to support EREV and BEV volume production as well. But that doesn’t take away from the hybrid’s contribution to reduced oil consumption, at least for now.

The beauty is they can use the same tranny congig in a regular hybrid or an EREV like the Volt.

It also can be scaled up to Silverado p/u size trans. so you could have an erev truck. It is actually cheaper in the electric motor dept than a pure series power train because they additively add the motors in EV mode…..so the total motor kw is lower. The electric motors are where the costs are. the gears are cheap.

Now if they’d place this setup in the plug in CT6 or chevy impala, and put a 20 kwh battery in it, they’d get 30 mile all electric range. The electric motors added to a 1800 cc 4 cyl would be roughly equivalent to the base 4 cyl 2000 cc turbo on the entry level CT6, so perceived lack of power shouldn’t be a problem.

Heck, I’d like to see a 50 kwh battery placed in a big caddy escalade with the escalade’s hybrid that they discontinued 2 years ago, for around 70 miles AER..

These are popular models. Batteries aren’t that expensive anymore. Almost all the engineering work, both design and manufacture, has substantially been completed. SO bring out some Big EV’s already.

Smaller displacement engine, 1.8L vs 2.0 and less total hp, 182 vs 188 which should offer at least 1 mpg

Lower EV only speed, 55 vs 85 which saves more EV power for hybrid mode and boosts the city mpg rating.

Along with using two electric motors to increase the efficiency benefits of electric propulsion.

It will be interesting to see how this hybrid does in the real world testing. Not due until 2016, it should hit about the same time that Ford’s new dedicated hybrid vehicle and new hybrid drivetrain is launched.